Population
Silver Spring
82,129
Gaithersburg
69,225
Median Income
Silver Spring
$98,880
Gaithersburg
$107,496
Home Value
Silver Spring
$619,400
Gaithersburg
$484,500
Rent
Silver Spring
$1,899
Gaithersburg
$2,008
Crime Rate
Silver Spring
N/A
Gaithersburg
2.53
Cost of Living
Silver Spring
174.7
Gaithersburg
171.3
Avg Temp
Silver Spring
N/A
Gaithersburg
N/A
Unemployment
Silver Spring
4.9%
Gaithersburg
5.1%
How Similar Are Silver Spring & Gaithersburg?
Gaithersburg is Silver Spring's #2 most similar city
5 of 8 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Silver Spring
82,129
Gaithersburg
69,225
Silver Spring has a 16% larger population than Gaithersburg.
Political Leaning
Silver Spring
21.9%
Gaithersburg
21.9%
Both cities lean Democratic with similar vote shares — 0% difference.
Unemployment
Silver Spring
4.9%
Gaithersburg
5.1%
Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 4% difference.
Median Income
Silver Spring
$98,880
Gaithersburg
$107,496
Both cities have similar median income — just a 8% difference.
Home Values
Silver Spring
$619,400
Gaithersburg
$484,500
Silver Spring has a 22% higher home values than Gaithersburg.
Education
Silver Spring
41.4%
Gaithersburg
36.3%
Silver Spring has a 12% higher education than Gaithersburg.
Demographics
Silver Spring
36.5%
Gaithersburg
35.6%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 2% difference.
Cost of Living
Silver Spring
174.7
Gaithersburg
171.3
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 2% difference.
5 out of 8 key metrics match within 10%. Silver Spring and Gaithersburg share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Silver Spring
0
Gaithersburg
Gaithersburg leads in 3 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Gaithersburg leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDGaithersburg scores 231.0 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 249.5 in Silver Spring. Silver Spring scores 125.6 on the food index (100 = national avg) vs 132.2 in Gaithersburg. Silver Spring scores 120.5 on the healthcare index (100 = national avg) vs 125.7 in Gaithersburg.
Overall Cost Index
Housing Index
Food Index
Transportation Index
Healthcare Index
Utilities Index
Living Wage (1 Adult)
Living Wage (Family of 4)
Fair Market Rent (1BR)
Fair Market Rent (2BR)
Housing Market
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSSilver Spring has a median home value of $619,400 vs $484,500 in Gaithersburg (28% higher). Gaithersburg has a single-family homes of 48.5% compared to 35.4% in Silver Spring. Gaithersburg has a owner-occupied of 51.3% compared to 38.2% in Silver Spring.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Gaithersburg leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSSilver Spring: 51,227 vs Gaithersburg: 40,215 for labor force. Gaithersburg: 22 min vs Silver Spring: 25 min for mean commute. Gaithersburg has a poverty rate of 8.8% compared to 9.7% in Silver Spring.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety
Source: FBI UCRViolent Crime Rate (per 1K)
Property Crime Rate (per 1K)
Murder Rate (per 1K)
Robbery Rate (per 1K)
Assault Rate (per 1K)
Burglary Rate (per 1K)
Larceny Rate (per 1K)
Violent Crime Clearance
Property Crime Clearance
Weather & Climate
Source: NOAA / Open-MeteoAvg Annual Temperature
Avg Annual High
Avg Annual Low
Sunny Days per Year
Annual Rainfall
Annual Snowfall
Avg Humidity
Schools & Education — Silver Spring leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauSilver Spring has a bachelor's degree or higher of 41.4% compared to 36.3% in Gaithersburg. Silver Spring has a high school diploma or higher of 50.5% compared to 47.5% in Gaithersburg.
Public Schools
Avg Student-Teacher Ratio
Colleges & Universities
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
High School Diploma or Higher
Demographics & Community
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSSilver Spring has a population of 82,129, about 1.2x the size of Gaithersburg (69,225). Silver Spring skews younger with a median age of 35.2 vs 37.8.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Silver Spring
Gaithersburg
Healthcare
Source: CMS Hospital CompareGaithersburg: 5 vs Silver Spring: 4 for with emergency services. Silver Spring: 2.7 vs Gaithersburg: 2.5 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Gaithersburg leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSSilver Spring has a public transit of 16.0% compared to 6.6% in Gaithersburg. Silver Spring has a bicycle of 0.9% compared to 0.4% in Gaithersburg. Gaithersburg has a drive alone of 54.2% compared to 45.9% in Silver Spring.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Silver Spring, MD
Compare Silver Spring against its closest statistical matches across demographics, income, crime, health, and more.
City Comparison
8-axis fingerprint: population, income, housing, crime, education, age, climate, and cost of living. Click legend items to toggle.